


Moving Forward

by MadeofValor



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Lots of Blue Pearl learning, Slow Burn, learning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-10
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-08-14 04:12:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7998130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadeofValor/pseuds/MadeofValor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On Homeworld a Pearl is nothing more than an accessory, something to be discarded and when no longer of use or wanted. </p><p>The Crystal Gems come across a Pearl that had been just that. Broken, discarded, forgotten for so long. Earth isn't Homeworld, on Earth she is something more, something important. But, it'll take a lot of work for her to understand her own potential, her own worth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Palanquin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Crystal Gems find something when investigating Blue Diamond's palanquin.

“So, what are we checking out, anyways?” Steven asked as he bounced beside the gems, looking on with the excitement that only he could conjure. Stretched out all around them was a grassy field, and a light breeze tickled the air. It was both a good location and good weather for a picnic in his opinion. Perhaps he could bring them back here for one, so long as it wasn’t too dangerous.

Garnet, who was taking the lead, was the one to answer his question, “we’re investigating Blue Diamonds palanquin,” she explained.

“Like the one from Buddy’s book?”

“The very same one,” Amethyst chirped, falling back to walk alongside him, arms resting on the back of her head, “we’ve been looking for that thing for _ages_! Who would have thought that the nerd had it in his book this whole time?”

Steven offered a smile, “It’s a good thing I showed you guys the book then, isn’t it?”

Bringing a hand to her chin in thought, Pearl could only shake her head, “Honestly, it’s doubtful that there’ll be anything inside worth checking. Blue Diamond was already dealt with a long time ago, and from what Buddy had written, the palanquin was already beyond the point of operation.”

“There is no harm in making sure,” Garnet pointed out, “it is better to be safe than sorry.”

“I suppose you are right.”

Steven laughed as he picked up his pace so to not get left behind by the taller gems, “this is going to be so cool! I’ve never gotten to see it before! What was it like back when it worked, anyways?”

“I’m with the Ste-Man on this,” Amethyst joined in, “I mean, that thing was already long lost by the time I came from my cozy hole in the ground. You two are the only ones who got to see it in action.”

Their path had become more slanted, though still some distance from their target. If the book was to be trusted, then they _should_ be getting closer to it.

“It really wasn’t all that magnificent,” Pearl said with a huff, “It was basically the throne that Blue Diamond sat on all the time and moved her so she wouldn’t have to walk herself.”

Garnet remained stoic as she gave a more precise explanation of the device, “It held multiple functions for Blue Diamond. As Pearl said, it was her throne, and neither Sapphire nor Ruby had ever seen her out of it. It also moved, as she said; it could produce long spider-like legs and could climb any surface,” Steven could recall the drawings of the broken legs from the book, it was nice to know what their purpose had been, “It had also served as a protective bubble of sorts. The metal was designed to withstand most attacks, though she would usually leave should violence occur.”

Defense and mobility, only the best for a Diamond.

“I personally found its design rather gaudy,” Pearl admitted as they walked.

At this point, they could see one of the long steel legs of the carriage like thing peeking out at the top of the hill. The tip digging right into the earth with no intention of ever coming out again. A few strips of torn up fabric clung to it and danced in the breeze.

Excited to reach this new find, Steven and Amethyst raced on ahead with laughter and shouts in the air. Eager to see who could reach the palanquin first and see what was in it. Like children on some kind of field trip, the innocence was as endearing as the lack of seriousness was annoying.

Keeping at a steady, measured pace, Pearl looked up at Garnet, “Do you think we’re going to find anything?” she asked. There was the feeling that the fusion knew something that she couldn’t just shake off. Had Garnet seen something in her future vision and just wasn’t telling them?

“We might,” her leader said, short and simple. Not a real answer, and it only served to fuel the suspicion.

When they reached the palanquin, Steven and Amethyst were already moving about around it. Treating it less as a mission and more as some kind of game, yet they at least still were keeping an eye out for anything of interest. It appeared as though the gate like fencing that opened the palanquin up was firmly shut, and they were looking for some other way in other than simply ripping it open.

It was in even worse shape than Buddy’s book had described it to be in. Though, it was not too surprising considering all the time that had passed since then. The veils that had once wrapped around it were torn, half-eaten by the moths and disintegrated by the weather. More fabrics were tossed about on the inside, torn and ratty, their age clear as could be.

Even the metal that made up the palanquin was unsteady. Rusted away with frames bent, broken or even gone entirely.

“Be careful!” Pearl shouted when the small Quartz gem had begun climbing the ancient machine. She had Steven in hand, pulling him along with her as she shimmied up one of the legs, “you don’t know if this thing has enough structural integrity to keep under your combined weight!”

Upon reaching the peak of it, the smaller gem rolled her eyes, “Psh! Oh, please!” she called back shaking her head, “do you _really_ think this old thing is going to break just because we’re standing atop it? Look! It’s sound as a rock!” Then, as though to emphasize her point, Amethyst stomped her foot on the steel a good few times. “See?”

Only a second later the steel beneath their feet broke off and the two small Crystal Gems fell inside the palanquin with a loud _thud_.

Pearl was torn between yelling out an ‘ _I told you!_ ’ and demanding to know if they had broken anything. She settled for racing up to the metal rings that surrounded it, fingers looping around them as she pushed some shredded veils that covered the entrance out of her way, “Steven! Are you okay?” she asked quickly as she stared at the boy’s limp form, lying face down on the floor of it.

Due to it having belonged to a Diamond, the Palanquin had a great height to it. It wouldn’t be too surprising if he had been seriously injured during the fall.

She pulled on the metal casing that had once been used to seal Blue Diamond inside and protect her. It was shut firmly after eons of disuse, the pieces frozen in place. Even with her superior own strength, Pearl struggled to force it open. When she managed to accomplish it, the palanquin creaked loudly as the door was pushed open, even if it was just wide enough for them to slip inside and get out without any hassle.

Pearl was quick to step inside, kneeling down beside Steven, it appeared he was okay, but she was still worried, “I told you!” she repeated, looking at Amethyst who was sat upon the Diamonds throne, rubbing her head, “Honestly, Amethyst! What if the fall was higher?”

“We’re fine, P. Relax,” the other gem shrugged, brushing some hair from her face.

Steven just grimaced as he pushed himself up onto his knees, “I landed on something pretty hard,” he admitted, rubbing at his sore ribs. Whatever he fell on, it had dug deeply into him despite the mess of fabrics it was hidden under. No doubt he was going to have quite the bruise.

Pearl held an arm out to him as though to showcase what he had just said while staring directly at Amethyst, “See? What if what Steven had landed on had been something sharp? He could have been badly hurt!” she squawked, though it was clear that Amethyst wasn’t even paying attention to her at this point.

While she went on, Steven frowned at the spot he had landed on. He was curious as to what it was that had bruised his side and left the ache in his ribs, and he began peeling away the blue fabrics that littered the floor. Careful with each strip just in case it really was something with a sharp edge to it that was hidden under there.

On a different thought, Steven had to admit that even after five thousand years, the materials inside of this thing were still rather soft to the touch. Maybe he could take some home? After a good wash or two, they could be used for something.

He shook that thought away when he reached the last one and finally uncovered what it was that he landed on. Though he quickly drew back, dropping the fabric as though he had touched hot steel.

His eyes were wide at the rounded object that was laid out on the floor of the palanquin discarded. Smooth, white with the hint of a blue hue to it, and a large crack running right through, “G-Guys?”

“What is it, Steven—oh my stars!” Pearl cried out in alarm as she reeled back upon sight of the cracked pearl on the ground. “What’s—oh my, what is she doing here? Has she been here the entire time? She must have, oh my stars,” her voice had gone quieter, softer as she drew back in. Reaching out to pick up the pearl, but hesitating and withdrawing her hands at the last second before she could touch it. As if a simple brush of a fingertip across the surface would shatter the gem.

Garnet hovered over them in silence, and Pearl knew that she had been aware of this. She must have. This was why she wanted them to come to the palanquin, this is what her future vision must have shown her.

Blue Diamond’s Pearl.

“So, we’ve got a gem here. Should we bubble her?” Amethyst asked, leaning over to look at it.

She even reached out to do just that, but Pearl was quick to swat her hand away, perhaps more roughly than needed, “No!” she barked. Then, softer, she looked back at the gem again, shaking her head, “No… Steven? Can you, could you fix her?”

Steven nodded, raising up a hand to his mouth, “Of course! No gem should be left broken!” he said, licking his hand and inching towards the gem once more.

He lowered his wet palm, carefully pressing it upon the gemstone. Careful not to add any extra pressure; he didn’t want to make the crack worse than it already was, and he quickly withdrew his hand. Wiping the spit off onto his shirt.

The gem glowed brightly as the crack sealed up, but that light faded just as quickly as it had appeared.

“So, how do you think she got like this?” Amethyst asked as she sat on her knees, “I mean, if you guys didn’t even know the palanquin was here, I don’t think the Crystal Gems would have been the ones to poof and crack her, then just forget about her here.”

Garnet nodded in agreement, “If we had been the ones to do this to her, she would have been bubbled, Rose would have likely healed her crack too,” she said slowly, looking at the abandoned pear. Her expression was unreadable, “I believe it was someone of her court, or perhaps Blue Diamond herself. Likely to ensure her Pearl did not become a renegade like our own, she wouldn’t want the risk of her Pearl having been influenced by our actions.”

It was harsh to think about, but, knowing how Pearls had been treated so often by many gems, how even their own Diamonds viewed them as disposable, it wasn’t hard to imagine. It didn’t make it any less painful to accept.

“That’s awful,” Steven spoke, disbelief clear in his voice, “so she just… _cracked_ her? That’s insane! How can she do something so cruel?”

“She’s a Diamond, Steven. Diamonds don’t care about anyone, especially not their Pearls,” the words were heavy, a bitterness as Pearl spat out the words.

With that said, she gathered up a bundle of the torn sheets that had laid discarded in the palanquin since it had been abandoned. She didn’t say anything as she gently eased the Pearl into her makeshift nest-like structure. Careful as she cradled it close, as though the slightest bit of roughness could cause it to shatter.

“Garnet,” she said, looking up at their team leader, “I would like to bring her with us. Not bubbled. I want to try and help her,” like Rose had for her. No Pearl deserved the treatment they got, and if she could help at least one, she would be happy.

There was no doubt in her mind that Garnet would agree, that feeling was confirmed when the taller gem gave a nod.

“We’ll need to make some space for her, but I believe we can find room for another gem.”


	2. Welcome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pearl finally reforms and meets the ones who saved her.

It had been a solid month since the Crystal Gems had discovered the broken gem inside the Palanquin, having both healed and brought her home with them, though the Pearl had shown no sign of reforming anytime soon. It had caused Steven no end of worry by how long it was taking her, but Garnet had assured him that there was no need to worry, it wasn’t all too strange that she would take a while. She had been cracked for eons, after all.

Still, Steven was determined to make sure that her gemstone was as comfortable as he could make it while she rested. After having the bundle of cloth retrieved from the palanquin washed, he had turned it into what one could consider a nest of sorts. Wrapping the gem up inside, nice and snug as to not let the gemstone get too chilly.

The group spent some time trying to decide on a space for her inside the house when she reformed. Not that she would need to sleep necessarily, but having some space to oneself was not a bad thing.

The barn was out of the question, though. Shot down the moment the idea was suggested. It was highly doubtful that the two ‘meep morp-ists’ currently living there would even have the space for a third roommate to move in, what with their gallery getting bigger and bigger with each week. The barn could only hold so much space, and those two might be a bit too much for her. The bathroom had been suggested, too, but it was also a no-go as a place of temporary lodging; they had gone through that once and were never going to do it again.

In the end, the group settled with offering the Pearl the living room and couch when she reformed. They could find her somewhere better at a later time, that is if she wanted to stay with them after she reformed. Their own Pearl had been rather adamant the past month on not forcing the other to stay at the temple if she didn’t want to. They shouldn’t make her feel like a captive or hostage of any sorts.

“Once she takes form again, she’s going to be her own gem and what she wants is going to be important. We’re not going to make her feel like she still doesn’t have a choice,” Pearl stated shortly after they had brought the gem over, having it rest peacefully on the low table in front of the couch. She paused and quickly added to her statement, “Unless, of course, her choice is something completely dangerous that will get her hurt. She’s not like me; she’s going to have the fragility that most Pearls possess.”

There was a bit of hesitation, silent and unspoken, at first. She _was_ a Homeworld gem, her last memory was bound to be of the war when the Crystal Gems were the enemies to be feared and stopped. What if she tried to contact Homeworld? Though it was unlikely she would be able to do that successfully, and if she did, it was unlikely Homeworld would listen to her. Pearl was confident that they wouldn’t have to worry about any troubles coming with the other Pearl, and the team wasn’t about to mistrust her decision.

Since then, a full month had passed since they had found her.

The inside of the house was filled with the noise of Steven and Amethyst playing a fighter video game, shouting at the television screen and at each other during each match and game over. The other half of the team was also busy with their own things. Garnet was inside the temple and Pearl was outside finishing up some laundry.

It was an average day for them.

“Come on! That was so bogus!” Amethyst complained, ready to throw the controller at the wall at this point, having been beaten for the third time in the row, “you’ve got to be cheating or something! No way you could have won that match!”

The young boy just gave a sheepish laugh, “Maybe you’re just losing your edge?” he offered in an attempt to keep the peace.

“Losing my edge? No way!” the gem shouted, reaching over to grab a hold of Steven. She was grinning, though, a sign of good nature as she pulled him closer and began to grind her fist on the top of his head. Messing up his dark curls as he was given a noogie, “My edge is like super sharp! No way I’m losing that!”

“Okay! Okay! Haha, stop it!” Steven laughed, trying to squirm out of her grip. What she was doing didn’t hurt, but it wasn’t comfortable either, “it was a stroke of luck is all!”

“You better believe! Next match I’m totally wiping the floor with you!”

There was no response, this time, Steven having fallen silent and even ceasing to struggle. His gaze was focused on the main floor, and when Amethyst looked over even she loosened up her grip, limbs falling limply to her side as she saw the familiar glow which was gradually growing brighter.

“Whoa… is that what I think it is?” she asked as Steven quickly got up and bounded down the stairs, “Holy! Sleeping Beauty is finally waking up!” she shouted, a grin forming as she too pushed herself up and stared at the scene from the edge of Steven’s room.

Despite the many blankets that were swaddled around the gem, the glow emitting from it was still bright as it began to hover in the air. The strips of blue cloth slipping off from the round and smooth gemstone as a new shape began to form in the light. Humanoid in appearance that gradually took on more details with the gem directly over the heart.

The process was quick and the light faded away just as fast.

A stick thin gem fell to her knees, blue hair falling over her eyes like a veil and limbs trembling from centuries of disuse.

Wordlessly, she tried to stand, pushing herself up to her feet slowly. Her head turned left and right, trying to take in the room around her, “What… w-whoa!” her voice was soft, almost hard to hear even as she gave a startled squeak when her legs quivered from beneath her, sending her back to the floor.

Steven was quick to close the distance, quickly grabbing her side and arm to help steady the Pearl, “Hey, easy there, I’ve got you.”

She looked at him in confusion, then around once more. Her mouth opening and closing a few times, wanting to speak yet not sure of what to say. Not sure if she _could_ speak yet if she was allowed to do so. After a minute of indecisiveness, she did speak, voice only a bit louder than before.

“Where… where am I?”

Amethyst answered before Steven could, jumping down onto the couch, watching as the Pearl jumped in fright, “Beach City, home of the Crystal Gems.”

The Pearl had been surprised when the small quartz gem had landed with a solid thump right beside her, clinching and trying to edge away from her. But hearing the name of the group, that had shot pure fear through her. Her hands were quick to latch onto themselves, fingers fidgeting as she held her clasped hands close to her chest. The fear was clear as her words tumbled out of her mouth, “C-Crystal Gems? _The_ Crystal Gems?” she asked, weakly hoping she had heard wrong.

But Amethyst crushed that hope without realizing it, “The very ones.”

Steven frowned, trying to pull her away from the blue gem, “Amethyst!” he hissed quietly, casting a worried look at their fearful guest, keeping his voice low so she could not hear him, “I don’t think it’s a good idea to be so blunt about who we are.” Garnet had warned them that the Pearl might think they were still her enemies when she reformed, that it could potentially cause problems if they weren’t careful.

This was _not_ being careful.

Oh dear, the Pearl looked ready to poof again just from the fright alone by being in the presence of the Crystal Gems with nothing to defend herself. Not that she needed to defend herself, neither Steven or Amethyst was going to hurt her.

She looked back and forth, searching for any sign that someone, any gem from her Diamond’s command was there and could help her. Any sign that they were just joking. But it was quite clear that it was no joke and there was no gem around but the Crystal Gem rebels.

“I… I don’t know what happened, but, but _please_ don’t s-shatter me!” the Pearl stammered out, stepping away from Steven and Amethyst, all the awful stories she had heard about them while beside her Diamond flooded her mind. The shattering of Pink Diamond, brainwashing gems to join their cause, no remorse in betraying their own planet and harming their fellow gems. These gems were _savages_ in the eyes of her Diamond.

The back of her leg bumped into the low coffee table in her attempt to back away from them, throwing her off balance and having her tumble onto her rump with a startled cry.

It was at that moment that the warp pad glowed and Pearl stood there, a basket of laundry in her arms.

“Steven, your clothes are done,” she said, lifting her head up to look at the living room. Then, nearly dropping the basket in surprise at the scene before her. “Oh, oh! You’re finally up!” she was quick to put the basket down, hurrying over to her fellow Pearl and holding a hand out to her in an offer to help her up, “are you okay?”

She didn’t take the offered hand, keeping her own held close to her front as she still tried to edge away from them, even while still on the floor. Her face had gone pale as she recognized the Pearl, “Y-you’re… you’re the renegade Pearl, aren’t you?” she asked. There was fear in her voice, pure at seeing the Pearl that had broken the mold and gone against everything a Pearl was supposed to do for the first time up close.

When Pearl only answered with a ‘well, yes?’, the other let out a scared squeak, reeling back even more. Her body was trembling as though she were at the epicenter of an earthquake, and she did not offer any more words as she tried to make herself smaller. Her arms had come up, though shaking, and wrapped protectively around her chest to shield her gem.

If the three were, to be honest, it hurt to see her so afraid of them.  They didn’t want her to be scared of them.

“Pearl, it would be best if you would relax.”

Two heads turned as Garnet stepped out of the temple, but it was soon clear that she was referring to the one that was cowering in fear. Recognition must have occurred as the Pearl flinched at seeing two former members of the court she served.

But Garnet was not fazed as she approached the group, kneeling down so that she was level with the pearl. “We’re not going to hurt you, we have no intention of doing so,” she said, her voice was calm and gentle, but there was a firmness to her tone too, “all we ask is that you listen to what we have to say.”

Pearl did not answer, not verbally of course. But, she did give a hesitant nod and that was as much of a confirmation for them than any.

“You were in the palanquin for a very long time, inside of your gem for just as long we suspect. I don’t know if you were aware of time passing or not, but it’s been five thousand years,” Garnet explained to her. There was an ever so subtle stiffen to the Pearl’s posture, suggesting that she hadn’t been aware of how much time had gone by and that small change hadn’t gone unnoticed by the gems. “We don’t want to hurt you; we have no reason to. The war is over and you’ve done nothing to wrong us.”

“You’re safe on Earth,” Pearl butted in, stepping closer to her. She had a smile on her face, a pleading one asking for the other to trust and believe her, “no one is going to hurt you. Not Homeworld, not your Diamond and not us. I promise you that.”

Looking between the two, the other Pearl hesitated, swallowing a large lump in her throat before she spoke, “What… what happened to My diamond?” she asked slowly, “Is there a way for me to g-go back?” Back to Homeworld, to the court, to her Diamond, back to where she was supposed to be.

It was a silly question that one, a stupid question. The Crystal Gems didn’t even need to answer; she knew that there was no way she could get off this planet. Even if she could get a hold of a ship that was somewhere on here, she had no idea how to pilot one. Her Diamond had never let her learn how to operate a good portion of the gem technology of her time. Especially not things that could give her ideas of going out on her own and going against her orders.

Even more, it wasn’t like Homeworld would send a rescue squad to retrieve a Pearl, even if she had once belonged to a Diamond. Her Diamond would have already had her replaced, she knew her well enough to know she would have wasted little time ordering a new one. After just a few days, maybe a week at most, she would have had a shiny new Pearl fresh out of a Kindergarten standing silently at her side.

Pearl edged closer to her, as though she were a scared, wounded animal. She might as well be one, “Blue Diamond can’t do anything to you anymore, her court can’t do anything to you,” she promised, a soothing tone to her voice, trying to keep her from fearing anymore.

She didn’t answer her question, not completely, but she could pretty well guess what had happened.

A pale hand reached out to her, “we’re not going to make you do anything,” Pearl said slowly, “you’re free to do whatever you want here on Earth. That’s the beauty of this planet; you can be so much more here than Homeworld would have ever let you be. If you don’t want to stay with us, we won’t stop you. But, you’re free to stay here with us if you want.”

She bit the inside of her cheek, fingers pressing together and fidgeting about in her age-old nervous habit. She couldn’t tell if these gems were lying to her or not, they seemed so genuine. But, most gems were when they wanted to manipulate someone.

But… if she left where would she go? If they were being truthful about how much time had passed, then she doubted she’d recognize what little of this planet she had known of to begin with. She didn’t even know what she would do on her own, the freedom to decide what she would do with her life, to think of what she wanted to do had never been given to her before. She had always had to do as she was told and nothing else, it was… scary to try and go off that path, she didn’t want to go off that path.

Familiarity was a comfort, was safety, even if it was a terrible life.

Through the veil of blue hair, she searched their faces for any sign of malice or the cold calculation she saw so often on her own Diamonds face. But, she couldn’t even find a trace of anything other than warmth.

Another hard swallow, her trembling returned as she slowly stood up, legs still shaking under her.

“Can… can I stay here, then?” she asked after what felt like forever. Then, she quickly shrank back as they stared at her, her grip on herself tightening. Had she said the wrong thing? The Pearl had said she was free to stay there with them. “If… if that’s okay with you. I don’t have to, I mean, if you don’t w-want me here.”

But Pearl just smiled at her, warm and pleasant, “No, no! It’s fine, it’s wonderful!” she said, and she seemed so _excited_ by this that the other couldn’t understand. “Honestly, I was hoping you’d want to stay.”

She could only ask, a soft utterance of ‘really?’ as she tilted her head in confusion. Not quite able to understand why they, or why anyone really, would want her to stay. But, it must have been too soft for them to hear because no answer came.

Pearl and Steven looked rather happy at her request, at her wanting to stay there, even if the concept of being among these gems was a scary notion, even Garnet and Amethyst seemed content.

The boy bounded up to her, taking hold of one of her hands between both of his, and it took all her willpower not to freeze up at being grabbed a hold of.

“Welcome to the Crystal Gems! You’ll love it here!” Steven said, smiling so bright it was almost blinding to look at, “I’m happy you’re staying here with us.”

She could only offer a weak, frail smile in return, “Y-yeah…” she hoped they couldn’t see her lie.

The Pearl wasn’t too comfortable staying with them, but, being around gems would be better for her, more familiar for her than to wander aimlessly on this planet, lost and alone. It would be safer for her. Oh, stars she hoped it was safer.

“It’s great to have you on board, Blue,” Amethyst added, giving her a firm pat on the back that nearly toppled her over.

She looked up, confusion written across her face. “B-Blue…?”

“Yeah, cause you’re blue and all,” the small quartz explained, scratching at her cheek, “it’d be weird to call you _and_ Pearl both ‘Pearl’, you know?”

Pearl offered her a patient smile, “are you okay with that?”

Seeing all the eyes on her, she felt her throat go dry once more. Was she okay with being given an entirely new name based simply upon her color scheme? She didn’t want to upset the gems she would be under so early on.

“It’s… it’s okay. I uh, I like it.”

Steven smiled at that, “I think it fits you a lot,” he agreed, nodding his head, was this boy ever not happy? “I promise you, Blue, that we’ll make sure you like it here.”

Blue didn’t care if she wasn’t happy with them, she was used to not being happy where she was. All she cared about was if she would survive being among them if she would be unharmed. That had always been a higher priority than happiness.

 


	3. Town Tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven gives Blue a tour of Beach City.

For a good portion of the day, Blue had spent it staying off to the side and out of the way. Or, rather, she _tried_ to do so. Tried to be out of the way and away from the attention of others. But, the Crystal Gems were determined to smother her with the focus and attention she was both uncomfortable and unfamiliar with. Asking her repeatedly if she were okay and then asking somewhat invasive questions of what Homeworld and Blue Diamond’s court had been like for her.

Thank the stars above when Pearl finally managed to pry an overly curious Amethyst away to give her some much needed space. So far she was the only one who even seemed to understand how Blue felt in this situation. She suspected it was from having been in a similar spot long ago.

Blue could appreciate it, nonetheless.

Though, even with Pearls help, the others would find their way back to Blue and start asking questions again. ‘Others’ meaning Amethyst and Steven. Prying into her life and history back with Blue Diamond, what she did as a Diamond’s Pearl and what some of the gems in Blue Diamond’s court were like.

She hated it most when they asked about Blue Diamond. She hated how they made her feel when she started thinking of it all.

A shudder ran through her body at the thought. She had both greatly respected and feared her Diamond, always had and always would. She was a giant of a gem, both refined and powerful; a gem that could shatter her with a single blow and would have should the mood fit her. She was one who had little patience for any sort of disorder of disobedience in her court and would bring down righteous punishment should either arise.

She had so many rules that Blue had to obey to protect herself; so many guidelines and taboos that would send a cold feeling of dread wash over her at the mere thought of stepping out of line.

Blue was to stay at her Diamonds side at all times unless told otherwise, was to remain standing in the same spot without moving unless told otherwise. Hours of standing at her Diamonds side inside the palanquin while Blue Diamond sat on her throne; hands clasped in front of her and observing in goings of the court in silence.

Honestly, she was lucky she hadn’t been designed to lack the capacity of speech. Her Diamond had done so for previous Pearls she owned.

But, if she were to ever speak in her Diamond’s presence without being addressed to first…

She closed her eyes, remembering what had happened to the Pearl before her. A mistake of speaking far too often without permission. Some of the Quartz warriors that guarded the palanquin had said the shards had been ground into fine dust.

“Blue, are you okay?”

She was jolted out of her thoughts by the voice intruding, quickly looking down at the boy standing before her. His eyes had a look of concern in them, another thing she wasn’t used to seeing directed at her.

Even Pearl had peeked her head out from the kitchen, likely drawn out to see the exchange.

She did that a lot since she had reformed it seemed; watching. Watching Blue. It made her feel like she was back under her Diamond’s judging gaze.

Trying to ignore eyes locked onto her, Blue gave a small nod of the head, “Oh… y-yes, I’m fine,” she responded, trying to sound convincing.

Sadly, he didn’t look convinced at all, but accepted her answer nonetheless, “Alright,” he said slowly, drawing out the word, still watching her carefully. “I was going to head down to the town, would you like to come along and receive the Beach City Tour?” he asked her.

A tour of Beach City, like learn what and where everything was? That didn’t sound like a bad idea, it would maybe help make the place feel less intimidating. Maybe. Hopefully. Doubtful.

“If… if you don’t mind, then I would l-like to tag along,” she answered with hesitance. It felt so strange to respond verbally so much, these gems didn’t accept the silence she was used to. This past day she had spoken more to these Crystal Gems than she had in a week among the gems of her Diamonds court.

“That sounds like a great idea!” Pearl added, making the other jump in surprise at her sudden addition to the conversation. She stepped out of the kitchen, all smiles as always, “It’d be great if you were to meet the humans around here. They’re wonderful people and there are also quite a few lovely places you can find here, too.”

Blue shrank back slightly as she approached, grabbing onto her arm nervously, “Oh… u’uh, yeah,” she mumbled.

“I promise we’ll be back in time for dinner,” Steven said as he took a hold of Blue’s hand, leading her out of the house and onto the sandy beach. Thankfully he quickly let go when he noticed how she tensed up at the contact.

The walk from the house to the town was a relatively short and quiet one. Steven did most of the talking between them in a mostly one-sided conversation that Blue remained silent for, only giving short one or two word answers here and there.

She honestly couldn’t even do much more than that when she didn’t understand what he was talking about.

Wrestling?

Pizza?

Funland?

What in the world were those things?

She didn’t bother asking though, she didn’t want to be seen as some kind of idiot for not knowing what was simple knowledge to him. There was a lot she was keeping from asking, one of them was about the gem that was missing from the group. Oh, she was pretty scare of asking that one.

They reached the buildings, leaving behind them the sandy beach and Blue wasn’t sure what she had been expecting. It hadn’t been this.

Even more… it felt like there were so many eyes on her as she trailed behind the young boy.

“S-Steven…” she whispered, voice almost catching in her throat, “why’s everyone staring?”

He turned his head and paused, having not noticed all the looks being cast their way it seemed, and brought a hand to his chin, “well, they’re used to seeing the other gems here,” he mused and then grinned, “it’s probably because you’re new. Last time some new gems appeared they kind of tried to help destroy the planet at first, so some people might be a little worried.”

“O-oh…”

So, other gems had come back to Earth? Did Homeworld send gems frequently?

Steven was leading her to some building that had a giant ring resting atop it. A light chime rang out when Steven pushed the door open, leading her over inside. An array of what she assumed were consumables was all around them as they approached the counter where two humans were chatting.

“Hey, Sadie! Lars!” Steven greeted, full of joy as always as he rested his hands atop the counter. Blue just lingered behind him.

The short girl, Sadie, smiled back, “Hey, Steven, how are you?” she asked and then her eyes moved to look at Blue, face twisting into confusion, “did Pearl dye her hair… and skin?” she asked him in a hushed voice that still did not go unnoticed by the gem.

“Nah,” Steven said shaking his head at her, Pulling Blue up so she could stand beside him rather than hiding behind, “this is Blue; the newest member of the Crystal Gems!”

_The newest member_? She… she didn’t ever say she wanted to be a _member,_ just that she would rather stay with fellow gems than be alone. Was she a Crystal Gem now? Blue didn’t know, and she was kind of afraid of voicing her query to them, or show any sign that she didn’t _want_ to be one.

Lars frowned, eying her, “how can you even see with all hair over your face?” he asked, kind of rudely in his tone.

“Lars!” Sadie elbowed him in the side, “Sorry about him, Blue. He’s just being kind of difficult today,” she apologized to her, smiling at the gem, “Anyways! Is there anything I can get you guys today? I think I can make an exception for a new friend; so, Blue, pick a donut. It’s on the house.”

Blue just stared at her, not saying anything.

On… the house?

What was a donut?

So many questions, and yet these humans weren’t really giving her any answer to any of them.

When the silence went on for longer than it should have, Steven gave a small, awkward laugh as he rubbed the back of his head. He must have caught on to her confusion and tugged her down so he could whisper without the others hearing. “A donut is a food we have,” he said, pointing to the various rings on display at the counter.

Oh, so _that_ was a donut?

“Then…” Blue began in a hushed voice, if it was on the house then did that mean? “are they offering me the… t-the big one on the building? I don’t think I could take that,” she’d never eaten before; how could they expect her to consume something so gigantic?

But, the boy just blinked at her answer and then started laughing, “No! No, no,” he assured her, still whispering but the two employees were now giving them funny looks, “’on the house’ is a human saying. It means it’s free, not the one atop the store.”

_Ooooh._

Okay, that made a bit more sense now. Though, she still didn’t understand why such a saying would imply that it would be free.

“O-okay, then… um…” she finally spoke to Sadie and Sars, but, well, how was she supposed to pick a donut when she didn’t know the difference between them? “Um… Steven? Which one should I get?”

“They’re all really great, _but,_ since it’s your first donut then maybe you should go with something simple. Like a beginner’s donut!” Steven offered, peering at the lineup of treats, “So, how about a regular glazed one, that sound good?”

She gave a timid nod.

Sadie smiled at them, though Lars was snickering over the effort put in just picking a donut, “that the one you want?” she asked, grabbing a bag and pair tongs. When Steven nodded she snagged a donut and plopped it into the bag, handing it over to Blue, “Well, enjoy! Feel free to stop by whenever, Blue, always nice to see a new face!” she had warmth on her face too as she smiled.

She held it close to her chest, giving a timid nod to her, feeling strange seeing kind behavior, “Y-yeah,” she answered, not sure what else she could say.

Steven waved goodbye to them as he and Blue began walking out of the store and back onto the streets. After that meeting they made a few more stops to introduce Blue to his friends. It turned out that Steven had quite a few friends, as though the entire town knew and loved him. The number of people she was shown was far too many too count.

It started to feel like he was showing her off to his friends; like a boy shows off his new toy. Like her Diamond had showed her off to the court when she first arrived after being made in the Kindergarten. The fancy, shiny new Pearl; fitting only for a Diamond.

By the time they had finished this tour, Blue’s head was spinning from all she had seen, met and found.

They were on their way back to the temple now, walking at a lazy pace with Steven a few steps ahead, arms held out as he tried to balance on the streets curb and not fall onto the road or sidewalk. He was quiet in his concentration.

Blue swallowed, trying to find something to say. She felt like she had to speak when around him, and honestly? He felt like the easiest to talk to out of the group, the least threatening. Maybe it was because he wasn’t a gem?

Maybe she could ask him the question that had been bugging her the whole day?

“Steven…?” she asked softly and the boy jumped off the curb at hearing his name uttered, turning around to watch her as he continued walking, backwards now.

“Something wrong, Blue?” he asked.

She looked away, glad that he couldn’t see her eyes and see the anxiety that still lingered in her, “Something’s been b-bothering me… all day, really,” she admitted slowly. “Where… W-where is your leader? Rose Quartz? I m-mean, if you guys are letting me stay, then… then wouldn’t _s-she_ need to have a say?”

What if Rose arrived and didn’t like the idea of Blue staying among the Crystal Gems? What if she had Blue shattered like she had shattered Pink Diamond? Harvested her? So many horror stories had been spoken in her Diamond’s court about the Quartz rebel, the idea of meeting her face to face—it terrified Blue.

It terrified Blue more than her own Diamond’s wrath ever did.

But, Steven had fallen quiet and even stopped walking, and now Blue was worried she had said something wrong. Was mentioning the Crystal Gems leader not allowed? Did Blue do something wrong, did she upset him?

“She’s… not here anymore,” Steven finally answered, fingers playing with the hem of his shirt as he spoke, “Garnet’s the leader now.”

“O-oh?”

He looked up at her now, “Rose Quartz is my mom, you see? And, well, to have me, she had to give up half of her existence to have me,” he explained, lifting up his shirt. Now, for the first time since meeting him, Blue was seeing the gem she hadn’t known he possessed. It was without a doubt a Rose Quartz gem, “So, I guess, in a way I _am_ her? Cause, I have her gem and all. But, well, she’s been gone for a while now.”

Blue watched him lower his shirt, covering the gem again, trying to roll this concept around in her head. Trying to make sense of it. A gem… _procreating_? Never had she even known it to be possible, but, if what Steven had said was true, then it must be possible.

It was bizarre, to put it plainly.

But, it was relieving to know that she wouldn’t have to fear seeing Rose Quartz.

Steven offered her a smile, “anyways, let’s get going. Pearl is going to be mad if we’re late,” he said, walking at a faster pace as he made his way back home, “It’s already dinner time. I wonder what was made!”

Blue followed after him, her longer legs were able to keep up with his pace as she continued to hold the donut bag close to her. They were kicking up sand as they hit the beach when Steven hit a full run and Blue had to scramble after him.

True to his words, when they reached the beach house Pearl had been rather cross with him over them having been half an hour late. But, even then, she didn’t seem to actually be angry, at least not as angry as Blue would have expected her to be.

A gentle scold rather than a wrathful scream.

“I do hope you had fun out there,” she said, much gentler now when she turned to Blue, smiling in a way that no one from the court ever did, not even other Pearls on Homeworld had treated each other so warmly or gently. “it really is a wonderful town, isn’t it?”

She watched Pearl and slowly offered a tiny smile of her own, “It… yeah, it is,” she agreed.

“Come on, Blue!” Steven said, taking hold of her hand again, pulling her away from the door and deeper into the house, “Let’s eat! I smell something good!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy it, let me know what you think.  
> If you ever wanna talk, have questions and such my tumblr is Valorborn


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